The grand jury's two-year term expires at the end of the month. That increases the chances that District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala's office would decide whether to press charges against Orie Melvin, a Republican elected to the high court in 2009.

A prior grand jury recommended charges against Orie Melvin's sisters: state Sen. Jane Orie, R-Allegheny and her siser Janine Orie, the newspaper reported. Jane Orie is set to be sentenced in June after her conviction on public corruption charges.

Justice Melvin and her lawyers did not return calls seeking comment from the Tribune-Review.

The countdown of the day's other Top Five stories starts now:

2. Lehigh Valley business leaders called on the Corbett administration Wednesday to come up with a long-term solution to the state's transportation funding woes — even if that means paying more at the DMV and at the pump to do it. State government needs to "own up to the responsibility for taking care of our transportation infrastructure," said Chad Heimbecker, of Swift Water Solutions in Allentown, and one of more than 100 local businesspeople who attended the lunchtime forum put on by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Heimbecker and others had a sympathetic ear in House Transportation Committee Chairman Rick Geist, R-Blair, and Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch, who keynoted the session at the Northampton Country Club.Geist, who lost an intra-party challenge in last month's Republican primary, said he believes it's up to Gov. Tom Corbett to lead on the issue and said he feared it "will take a failure like out in the Midwest" to get lawmakers and the administration to finally act. The north-central Pennsylvania lawmaker was referring to the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse of the Interstate 35 Bridge over the Mississippi River in Minnesota, in which 13 people died and 145 were injured.

3. Marcellus shale natural gas drillers have reduced the rate of blowouts and other accidents by half since 2008, the Tribune-Review reports, citing a newly released study based on state agency actions. State regulators issued environmental violations at 27 percent of the wells drilled in the first eight months of 2011, 54 percent below the full-year rate in 2008, according to the study from the University at Buffalo's Shale Resources and Society Institute, the newspaper reported. "It's pleasing to me, and it should be pleasing to everyone," former state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger told the newspaper."I think it's one good data point. I do believe it's evidence, but it's not the only piece of evidence that you would want when examining these trends."

4. If the state is going to continue to slash funding, then maybe counties should get out of the human services business altogether, Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste muses to the Patriot-News of Harrisburg this morning. “What if we decided to close our human services departments altogether?” Haste said. “I’m not saying that’s the right way to go. I’m just asking the question. If (the state) continues to decide that they’re not going to properly fund those programs, I don’t know why we should continue to just take it.” The Corbett administration's $27.16 billion budget proposal calls for a $168 million reduction in state funding to those programs and would roll them into a new block grant. The $27.6 billion budget the state Senate approved last week adds back $84 million and spikes the block grant approach.

5. The Post-Gazette caught up with Veep Joe Biden yesterday across the border in Youngstown, Ohio, where the nation's second banana seriously got his populist on. As you might expect, Biden teed off on GOP nominee Mitt Romney's background with corporate vampires Bain Capital.

What Goes On.The Public Employees Retirement Commission meets at 10 a.m. in 461 Main Capitol today to talk about ... and this is a safe bet ... public employees and their retirements.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition). Supernaturally youthful state Rep. Steve Bloom, R-Cumberland, holds a 4:30 p.m. reception at the Minvera Mills Building in lovely Carlisle. Admission runs $99 and $199 if you bring a plus-one.

You Say It's Your Birthday Dept. Congratulations go out this morning to state Rep. Jennifer Mann, D-Lehigh. Have a good day,

On The Capitol Ideas iPod This Morning. Today's one of those days when we find ourselves craving the musical equivalent of comfort food. From their 1991 record "Mavericks" here's Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey of The dB's with a live version of "Angels."